After their elimination from the FIFA 2026 World Cup in the round of 16, with a 1-0 loss to Spain, the Portugal national team announced the hiring of coach Jorge Jesus on July 10.

The former Flamengo manager takes over the team after the dismissal of Roberto Martínez.

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This Monday (20), Jorge Jesus confirmed that he had discussions last year regarding the Brazilian national team, after a 4-1 defeat to Argentina prompted Dorival Júnior’s exit.

“I ended up not going to coach the Brazilian national team, but I had already been given indications to make Brazil’s preliminary squad list for the match that would be played in March after they had lost 4-1 to Argentina,” JJ told Portugal’s Canal 11.

Following the loss to their South American rivals in the qualifiers, the national team’s next responsibility came during the FIFA window in June 2025, when Carlo Ancelotti made his debut as the new coach of Brazil.

Jorge Jesus even took a jab at Ancelotti’s squad selection for the 2026 World Cup.

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According to the new Portugal coach, Pedro, with whom he worked at Flamengo, is the country’s best “striker” (center forward) and deserves a spot on the team.

“What would I have done? Brazilian players are all over the world. Besides that, there is a lot of quality in the Brazilian Championship… Would I have called up a different squad than what Ancelotti did? No, of course I would have with one or two players. I think that right now the best striker is Pedro, and that is a little biased because he was my player at Flamengo. One to three different players, but I agree with most of what he did. However, the way of looking at the game and training makes the difference.”